An Open Call for Muslim Writers, Black History Month, and More

by
Staff
2.1.17

Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories:

A group of more than thirty U.S. literary agents have posted an open call for submissions by Muslim writers. “The messages of fear and discrimination against Muslims within this country and to those outside its borders are not ones that reflect our own beliefs and understanding,” the agents wrote in a statement. “This is our open call for stories that will bring increased understanding, tolerance, empathy, and compassion in the world.” (Publishers Weekly)

BuzzFeed Books and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment have launched the “One Book, One New York” program encouraging all New Yorkers to read the same book at the same time. Five celebrities have each nominated a book, and New Yorkers are invited to vote for the winning title.  

Hillary Clinton will publish a book of personal essays with Simon & Schuster in the fall. (CBS New York)

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The Washington Post profiles nineteenth-century poet Emma Lazarus, whose famous words have become a rallying cry in the wake of the recent executive order banning refugees.

Meanwhile, authors and publishers abroad are pushing back against the president’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Malorie Blackman, the former Children’s Laureate of the United Kingdom, declared that she will not travel to the United States while the ban is in place. Manchester-based Comma Press announced that in 2018 it will only translate books by authors from the seven targeted countries. (Guardian)

“Looking to both living and dead poets for words of inspiration and guidance is now part of my living ‘in the along,’ for however many years this particular ‘night’ lasts.” Edwidge Danticat considers the solace and political power of poetry. (New Yorker)

To honor both the start of Black History Month and Langston Hughes’s birthday, Signature takes a closer look at his poem about police brutality “Who But the Lord.”

The Atlantic analyzes the political cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) that skewered the America First movement of the early 1940s.